Electromagnetic imaging and infrared spectroscopy for quality monitoring and preservation of cereal grains

加拿大每年的谷物作物价值约为60亿美元，70%的生产谷物用于出口。据估计，2%的收获作物(价值1.2亿美元)在搬运和储存过程中被浪费。大多数买家规定了严格的质量要求以及对污染物的零容忍。目前的粮食分级方法严重依赖人工检验，耗时长、主观，需要训练有素的人员。因此，需要替代的快速、客观、准确和经济有效的技术来实时监测粮食质量，这种技术可能会辅助或取代人工检测。谷物的质量在储存过程中也会恶化，在加拿大，储存时间从几个月到一年多不等。随着过去几十年来乡村电梯的消失，更多的粮食正在农场储存更长时间。这导致了更大尺寸的垃圾桶，很难监控。将温度和湿度传感器挂在这些大垃圾桶中的电缆上会带来许多实际限制。因此，一种非侵入性的监测仓储粮食质量的方法是非常必要的。 我的国际公认的研究计划的长期目标是通过非破坏性和实时地利用谷物的光学特性，将收获后的损失降至最低，并保持谷物的质量。我在这方面的初步工作为今后5年将在这一提议领域进行的研究奠定了基础。这些短期目标是：(1)利用中红外光谱技术对谷物真菌产生的有害次生代谢物进行量化；(2)利用软X射线光谱仪研究真菌侵袭造成的谷物籽粒微结构变化；(3)采用微波成像技术，这是一种用于检测癌症肿瘤的技术，用于监测粮仓内的储存条件。 最近通过200万美元的CFI拨款获得的最先进的基础设施使我的实验室具有独特的地位，可以进行本提案中概述的研究。这些研究的结果将对加拿大和全世界的谷物储存和处理产生革命性的影响。检测真菌和真菌毒素的光学方法将有助于为谷物检查员提供一种目前无法获得但非常可取的工具，以实时检测早期感染。使用微波成像，加拿大生产商将能够非侵入性地监控他们的粮仓。加拿大谷物的进口商和消费者将受益于优质谷物的安全供应。接受过这些研究培训的HQP将获得加拿大工业界梦寐以求的技能。从本质上讲，这项研究将有助于提高谷物搬运和储存过程的效率，并培训将为加拿大经济做出贡献的高技能人员。

The value of Canada’s annual grain crop is about $6 billion and 70% of the produced grains are exported. It is estimated that 2% of the harvested crop (worth $120 million) gets wasted during handling and storage. Most buyers specify stringent quality requirements as well as zero-tolerance for contaminants. The current method of grading grain relies heavily on manual inspection, which is time consuming, subjective and requires trained personnel. Therefore, alternative rapid, objective, accurate, and cost effective techniques are needed for grain quality monitoring in real-time that can potentially assist or replace manual inspection. The quality of grain also deteriorates during storage, which could be anywhere from a few months to over a year in Canada. With the disappearance of country elevators over the last few decades, more grain is being stored on-farm for longer periods. This has led to larger-sized bins that are difficult to monitor. Hanging temperature and moisture sensors on cables in these large bins poses many practical limitations. Thus, a non-invasive method of monitoring quality of grain stored in bins is highly desirable. The long-term goal of my internationally recognized research program is to minimize post-harvest losses and preserve the quality of grain by means of exploiting grain’s optical characteristics non-destructively and in real-time. My preliminary work in this area lays the foundation for research that will be conducted in the realm of this proposal over the next 5-years. These short-term objectives are to (i) use the technique of mid infrared spectroscopy to quantify the hazardous secondary metabolites produced by grain fungi; (ii) study the microstructural changes that take place in grain kernels as a consequence of fungal infestations using soft X-ray spectro-microscopy; and (iii) adapt microwave imaging, a technique that is used for detection of cancerous tumors, to monitor the storage conditions inside grain bins. The state-of-the-art infrastructure recently acquired through a $2 million CFI grant uniquely positions my lab to conduct the research outlined in this proposal. The outcomes of these studies will have a transformative impact on the storage and handling of grains in Canada and worldwide. The optical method of detecting fungi and mycotoxins will help provide grain inspectors a currently unavailable but highly desirable tool to detect incipient infestations in real time. Using microwave imaging, Canadian producers will be able to monitor their grain bins non-invasively. The importers and consumers of Canadian grain will benefit from a safe supply of high quality cereals. The HQP trained on these studies will gain skills that are highly coveted by Canadian industries. In essence, the research will help enhance process efficiencies in grain handling and storage and also train highly skilled personnel who will contribute to the Canadian economy.